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Extent and Nature of Television Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing in 9 Asian Countries: Cross-Sectional Study Using a Harmonized Approach

Karupaiah T 1 , Rahman SMM 2 , Zhang J 3 , Kumar N 4 , Jamiyan B 5 , Pokharel RK 6 Show all authors , Borazon EQ 7 , Thoradeniya T 8 , Tho NTT 9 , Mackay S 10 , Kelly B 11 , Swinburn B 10 , Chinna K 12 , Dashzeveg E 5 , Ong GR 1 , Narayanan SS 1 , Sameeha MJ 13 , Uddin MA 14 , Tang Y 3 , Sharma NK 15 , Pokharel R 6 , Rome AC 16 , Wickramasinghe VP 17 , Huy PT 9

Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, Faculty of Public Health, Bangladesh University of Health Sciences, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 3 School of Population Medicine and Public Health, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
  • 4 Chitkara School of Health Sciences, Chitkara University, Punjab, India
  • 5 Department for Nutrition Research, National Center for Public Health, Ministry of Health, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 6 Public Health Nutrition Section, South Asia Infant Feeding Research Network (SAIFRN)-Nepal (A Nepal Chapter of Global SAIFRN Network), Lalitpur, Nepal
  • 7 International Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, College of Social Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
  • 8 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • 9 Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) Control Department, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • 10 School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
  • 11 Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Early Start, School of Health and Society, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
  • 12 Faculty of Business and Management, UCSI University, Cheras, Malaysia
  • 13 Nutritional Sciences Programme, Centre for Community Health Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 14 Academic Wing, Institute of Public Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 15 Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
  • 16 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Home Economics, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Metro Manila, Philippines
  • 17 Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
JMIR Pediatr Parent, 2024 Dec 04;7:e63410.
PMID: 39630493 DOI: 10.2196/63410

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Rising childhood obesity rates in Asia are adding risk for the future adult burden of obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Weak policies across most Asian countries enable unrestricted marketing of obesogenic foods and beverages to children. Television is the common medium for food marketing to reach this audience.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the extent and nature of television food and nonalcoholic beverage marketing in 9 Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam) with capacity building support from the International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Disease Research, Monitoring and Action Support, who enabled harmonization of data collection method and content analyses.

METHODS: Advertised foods were categorized as permitted or not permitted based on the nutrient profile models established by the World Health Organization regional offices for South-East Asia (SEARO) and the World Health Organization regional offices for Western Pacific (WPRO). Overall rates of food advertisements (advertisements per hour per channel) and persuasive strategy use were analyzed along with comparisons between children's peak viewing time (PVT) and non-PVT.

RESULTS: Cross-country comparisons, irrespective of country income level, indicated that not permitted food advertising dominated children's popular television channels, especially during PVT with rates as per WPRO or SEARO criteria ranging from 2.40/2.29 (Malaysia) to 9.70/9.41 advertisements per hour per channel (the Philippines). Persuasive strategy rates were also comparatively higher during PVT. Sugar-sweetened beverages, sugar-containing solid foods, and high salt- and fat-containing snacks and fast foods were frequently advertised. Evaluation of the application of WPRO and SEARO nutrient profile models identified inconsistencies due to regional taste and cuisine variations across Asia.

CONCLUSIONS: This study clearly showed that unhealthy food marketing through popular children's television channels is widely occurring in Asia and is a clear breach of child rights. Evidence outcomes will benefit advocacy toward stronger policy regulations to control unhealthy food marketing and strengthen strategies to promote a healthier food environment for Asia's children.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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